NY Suspends Lane Closures for Labor Day Weekend

To help with Labor Day traffic, temporary lane closures for road and bridge construction projects on New York state highways will be suspended from 6 a.m. Friday to 6 a.m. on Tuesday to accommodate increased travel throughout the holiday weekend.

The suspension of construction supports New York's Drivers First initiative to minimize traffic congestion and travel delays due to road and bridge work. However, drivers should keep in mind that in some cases, road work may continue behind permanent concrete barriers or for emergency repairs.

A detailed schedule of Thruway lane closures throughout the holiday weekend is available here.

It's not a mandate to drive recklessly. State and local law enforcement will be participating in the statewide "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over"enforcement through Labor Day, Monday, September 2. The enforcement and education campaign is designed to prevent intoxicated and under the influence driving on state and local roads. Motorists can expect to see law enforcement stopping and arresting impaired drivers in order to keep New York's roads safe this holiday weekend.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo is also urging motorists to abide by New York's Move Over Law and to utilize the 64 text stops located statewide as needed for texting, making phone calls, and other non-driving tasks.

Travelers can check NYSDOT's 511NY before traveling, by calling 5-1-1, visiting the 511 website here, or downloading the free 511NY mobile app on iTunes or Google Play. The free service allows users to check road conditions, view traffic cameras and link to air and transit information. The app features Drive mode, which provides audible alerts along a chosen route while a user is driving, warning them about incidents and construction.

"State Police will be highly visible this weekend, working to keep our highways safe as motorists travel to their holiday weekend destinations," New York State Police Superintendent Keith M. Corlett said. "We urge all drivers to do their part by obeying posted speed limits, putting away smart phones, moving over for stopped emergency and highway maintenance vehicles, and staying focused and alert when behind the wheel."

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